CLEARLY this is not intended for us. Or adults who enjoy watching films. Its obviously for parents with kids who enjoy these kind of social cinema experiences (which are fairly common, at least in the UK)

I think it sound great and im sure kids will love it and i KNOW my 5 year old Cars obsessed nephew would love it too.

Originally Posted by thethule:CLEARLY this is not intended for us. Or adults who enjoy watching films. Its obviously for parents with kids who enjoy these kind of social cinema experiences (which are fairly common, at least in the UK)

I've been to kids showings of films and while they're certainly more chaotic than a usual screening they are nothing like this. For all the toddlers running around there are kids (and parents) who are happily enjoying the film.

The part I take umbrage with is that it can be difficult for a film to hold a kid's attention for a full 1:30-2 hours anyway so introducing the idea that they should have that attention divided across another distraction is only going to make it more difficult.

Originally Posted by AJ:I've been to kids showings of films and while they're certainly more chaotic than a usual screening they are nothing like this. For all the toddlers running around there are kids (and parents) who are happily enjoying the film.

Yes...i know. I never said it wasn't like this. This is just ANOTHER kind of entertainment for kids to enjoy. I'm fairly certain that they wont be holding anyone at gunpoint to come to these kind of showing, if you don't think your kid will enjoy it, then stay away.

I applaud them for trying new things. Will it work? Who knows, but its good to try.

One more thing i really cant wrap my head around. How is a kid going to hold a half kilo tablet up for a hour and a half above his head, i mean i would probably struggle if someone gave me a bottle of water to hold up above my head for longer than twenty minutes. You will end up with some little hulks by the end of the screening. Also i think kids should socialize in an healthy environment with other kids, like in a park or similar, not in a social cinema experience™.

So is this what Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas were talking about? Lame idea for sure, I foresee myself not attending the theaters anymore and watching the movies at home. It's just not worth the hassle of it all.

What a perfectly atrocious concept. Although, the worst part about it is the pushing of technology onto kids in the first place - whatever happened to, you know, being a kid? Playing in the mud? Cops and robbers in the forest? No, let's buy them all iDevices, sit them in the cinema and make them push blinking buttons.

Seriously, people saying it's going to ruin movies clearly aren't paying attention to what this is. It isn't something every movie is adding, it's an "event" for parents to bring their kids to. In other words, if you all buy tickets to Little Mermaid Second Screen Live and then complain about there being second screens, you only have yourselves to blame.

There are definitely chaotic events like this for kids' movies, movies where the kids stand in the aisle and sing and dance and yell certain words during moments in the film etc. This will not ruin the film any further than those things do.

Everyone can complain when they introduce second screen live to the next Tarantino film, but until then it isn't going to ruin a movie going experience that isn't pretty much already ruined.

Now that said, I still hate this idea. Look kids already have so much media, noise, entertainment, etc. thrown their face, is it really healthy to shove even more for them to take in? Is this over stimulation? Maybe I'm not looking to the future enough but I just feel like, and I can't believe I'm about to say this phrase, but "kids these days" seem to be conditioned to always have so much digital junk pumped into their heads, I wonder if it's preparing them for a future of google glass constant data/info intake, or if it's breeding a generation of ADD, frantic people who can't focus on a single thought for more than a second. Cause honestly the introduction to the internet, and especially tabs, I think has even had an effect on me.

Of course I'd never go to one of these showings so nothing to complain about really, but I do agree that it's not serving kids very well. They're smarter than this, or they could be if marketing heads don't force this kind of nonsense on them.

Give a couple of years anyway, and they'll all be wearing Google Glass in the cinema doing the same thing. At least that way it won't end up in a generation of short-sighted movie-goers. (scientific evidence pending).

Absolutely right! This sounds like a great idea to me for parent's who's kids are obsessed with The Little Mermaid. Most of the people in this thread are not going to be interested and no one is going to force you to go.

There are already several "second screen" apps you can get for tablets to use with your favourite TV show. I don't understand why anyone would want to do this, but clearly there is a market. No one is going to force you to participate. I don't particularly understand people enjoying facebook games either. Each to their own.

I completely disagree with Leigh - it's a great time to be a kid. My 5 year old son has learnt so much just from using an iPad. He discovered Titanic and Freddy Mercury on Youtube and now knows more than us! He also uses reading and maths apps, along with games just for fun. But we also enjoy reading books and my kids spend have their life at the local playground or making movies with me.

It all comes down to parenting and how much you are willing to put in. Doing anything to ignore your children is still bad parenting even without any technology. I do agree that technology does make it easier to be a bad parent.

Movie theatres have one off special events all the time. I think anything which keeps movie theatres open is a good thing - be it this, Singalong shows, showing international football matches or hosting a business conference.

Simon

Originally Posted by Michael5188:Seriously, people saying it's going to ruin movies clearly aren't paying attention to what this is. It isn't something every movie is adding, it's an "event" for parents to bring their kids to. In other words, if you all buy tickets to Little Mermaid Second Screen Live and then complain about there being second screens, you only have yourselves to blame.

Good or bad, I feel that it's very important for people to come up with new crazy ideas like this. Try it out and see if it sticks. You'll always get people that are against it. And that's fine. Maybe it will fail, but something else better may be spawned from it.

I feel that my kids would really enjoy this and I would be excited to send my kids to it and enjoy it with them.

Disney and hopefully other companies are trying new ways to entertain us. I look forward to these new ideas that create an experience that has never been felt before. Bring on the craziness.

I've been to movie re-releases where most people are saying the lines and singing the songs. They're having a great time and at a normal screening it would be considered rude. But in the expected re-release environment it's super fun. I don't think that the Disney idea is far off from this.

If kids aren't going gaga over going to the movies (the one I am around hates it), a world without movie theaters is something we may all see within our lifetime. One soft generation, and poof. Spielberg's $25 Iron-man sequel seems less likely to me than 1-2 megaplexes on life support per major city.

Originally Posted by leigh:What a perfectly atrocious concept. Although, the worst part about it is the pushing of technology onto kids in the first place - whatever happened to, you know, being a kid? Playing in the mud? Cops and robbers in the forest? No, let's buy them all iDevices, sit them in the cinema and make them push blinking buttons.

God, I am so glad I am not a kid today.

Leigh....times have moved on. Get over it man!

Oh and yes, cant you see all the miserable kids with there ipads, phones, bluray players etc...yes you would have HATED being a kid in this day and age...

Originally Posted by thethule:Leigh....times have moved on. Get over it man!

Oh and yes, cant you see all the miserable kids with there ipads, phones, bluray players etc...yes you would have HATED being a kid in this day and age...

But I didn't say they were miserable - kids love sugar, but it doesn't mean it's good for them, right? Personally I think it's awful the way kids are spending their lives indoors with high tech gadgets. Just look at what it's done to adults - every time I go out these days, I see groups of adults, friends, sitting together but instead of enjoying each other's company, they're all sitting playing with their mobile phones. And kids are heading in the same direction. You don't find that horrid??

Follow Us On:

The CGSociety

The CGSociety is the most respected and accessible global organization for creative digital artists. The CGS supports artists at every level by offering a range of services to connect, inform, educate and promote digital artists worldwide. More about us on TheArtSociety.com